BRINGING THE HOPE OF JESUS TO THE RROMA PEOPLE OF ROMANIA

“Since I began ministering in Romania in 2008, God has given me a heartbeat and a vision for the Rroma people of Romania” – Manda Pidgeon

Often called by the pejorative term ‘Gypsies’, the Rroma people have a deplorable history. Most Rroma have no identification papers, and therefore no nationality or homeland, let alone access to education, employment or healthcare. They are virtually an ‘invisible’ people whose numbers remain difficult to count. With an ongoing distrust between Rroma and the rest of society, these marginalised people struggle to find purpose and belonging in the world around them.

This lack of trust makes it difficult to reach Rroma communities in Romania, however, there are many Christian workers, including foreigners, Romanians and Rroma themselves, who are already bringing the hope of Jesus to these people.

Manda Pidgeon heard from these workers – their passion and yet their exhaustion, with many burning-out or struggling to know how to effectively reach out to the Rroma communities where God has called them to minister.

“God took these pleas for help and planted a vision in my heart to develop the Rroma-Workers Network in Romania” Manda explains.

The network seeks to encourage, equip and empower Rroma-workers to reach Rroma communities with the Gospel”, enabling them to work with each other, share resources, attend conferences, and ultimately become more effective in their ministries.

The network has since grown to over 150 workers/organisations who live and minister all over Romania. They are involved in theological and children’s education, skills development, business, sanitation, and community development.

The main ministry is a biannual conference organised for the workers in Rroma ministries to be encouraged, provide an opportunity for leadership development and networking as well as skill development. A website for workers has also been launched.